At a Glance: This little snippet is sure to delight and amuse you this holiday season.

Reviewed By: Sammy

Blurb: Jackson has loved Vegas since God created Man—literally. As a demonic incubi hailing from the Seventh Circle of Hell, Jackson and Vegas have never been anything more than roommates. Now living among humans, they run Eaven, a TripAdvisor-recommended detour-worthy diner famous for its devilishly decadent pies. Business is dead on the holidays, and Jackson will gleefully stab himself with a spatula if he has to clean spotless pots and pans one more time.

For fun—or torture—Vegas makes him a bet that should Jackson win, they take a much-needed vacation. Should he lose, he’s doomed to clean out grease traps for all eternity. When the challenge is to fall in love with other people by Christmas, it proves Vegas isn’t the least bit interested. But when they find an abandoned baby in the trash, she could be the Christmas miracle to warm Jackson’s cynical heart.

Review: Author Lex Chase offers up a devilishly sweet story for the Sleigh Ride 2015 Dreamspinner Advent Calendar. Even demons, in this case incubi who feed off sex, deserve a holiday, and are determined to have it when they make a bet with each other to see who can fall in love by Christmas. The only hitch is Jackson is already in love—with his long time roommate and fellow demon, Vegas. The two have settled down and run a diner that is best known for its devilishly decadent pies, but Jackson is tired of cleaning the diner’s grease traps, and more than fed up with trying to hide his feelings for Vegas. To top off the whole crazy wager, a baby is left on their doorstep, and it is up to Jackson to make sure she is taken care of, especially since she can’t seem to stand the sight of poor Vegas.

Only Lex Chase could create such a crazy-hot and adorable Christmas story with a decidedly unique twist. The relationship and interchanges between Jackson and Vegas were sharp and humorous while also bordering on the frustrating—-all they had to do was admit how they felt, and yet the constant dance around those emotions made for a fun romp of a story. With more than a fair share of snark and sarcasm, the story flew along, fraught with sexual tension that you could cut with a knife. The resolution of that tension made for a very hot sex scene that left me breathless!

Loving and Loathing Vegas is an unusual and clever contribution to this year’s Advent calendar. While it would have been great to know a bit more about the baby’s origins and the backstory of the two incubi themselves, this little snippet is sure to delight and amuse you this holiday season.

Wednesday greetings, Awesome Readers! Today here on Genre Talk, we’ve got DSP Publications author Lex Chase stopping by The Novel Approach Reviews as the 7th stop on a 9-part blog tour. So let’s just sit back and let her do all the work. ;)

Hello Internet! I’m Lex Chase and Carole and Lisa are awesome enough to have me over for Genre Talk! I’m here to share a bit about my upcoming anthology Checkmate Ever After from DSP Publications. It’s a story about the dizzying highs, the terrifying lows, and the creamy middle of disgraced superhero Memphis Rook and his rise to redemption alongside his sidekick/boyfriend Hogarth Dawson. In Hogarth’s happy, perky, way too much caffeine, way to little sleep POV, he relays Rook’s dark and angsty story through the rose-colored glasses of a hyperactive chipmunk.

So, one of the Genre Talk questions that I decided to write an entire post about is “what makes your book different from other m/m books.” I had been filling out the question, but this post ended up falling out.

There is a book of every flavor, and a different reader a connoisseur. Cowboys? Check. Firemen? Check. Cops. Cooks. Spies. Spooks. Sports stars and porn stars.

Welcome to the buffet.

There is nothing wrong with any of those tropes. And Rule #1 of Geekdom is “Don’t Be A Dick.” So many people already write those, and they do it far better than I ever could.

Now, superheroes? That’s my thing. Give me any “Superheroes in [FILL IN THE BLANK]” trope and I eat it up like the fistfuls. I have a hardcore weakness for Superheroes In High School. Don’t judge. My favorite movie of all time with this trope being Disney’s Sky High.

I grew up reading comics, drawing comics, eating, sleeping, and breathing comics. I was once considered a local guru on what was the hottest, what was appropriate for kids, that subtitled anime actually taught reading comprehension and fostered intrest in foreign language. Yes. Really.

But my problem with LGBT representation in comics is…a complicated thing. There was either LGBT slice-of-life stories, which I did rather enjoy. But, I could see that in my own life. So. Eh.

Enter “Gay Superhero” comics. You have guys with packages as large as baseball bats and are a veritable fountain of fluids. Overdrawn muscles, veins upon veins, and perpetual “O” faces. Straight up fap material.

I wanted saving the day. I wanted messages of with great power comes great responsibility. I wanted to see guys that I, you, everyone could look up to. Guys people wanted to cosplay and kids wanted to dress as for Halloween. I wanted heroes. Not a porn star in a cape.

One of the things I love about mainstream comics such as Marvel and DC, these characters being larger than life, they still have very human issues. Issues like infidelity, conflicting political and religious views, dealing with grief, addiction, alcoholism, HIV/AIDs, even rape. These characters appealed to those that didn’t think they had a voice. These characters never failed their readers as the world around them did.

These characters taught us how to pick ourselves up. How to take a stand. And how to fly.

These characters were never meant to be just as dirty as your neighbor’s crusty Penthouses.

That’s where Checkmate Ever After comes in.

It’s my love letter to superheroes and pop culture. From the references to the comedy, the very real human issues, and everything in the middle.

Rook and Garth save the day with heroic deeds, and klutzy misadventures, but never with the “healing power of cock.” Rook and Garth are extraordinary guys living in a world that’s more extraordinary than they are, therefore making them just okay.

It takes the whizz! bang! of shiny flawless superheroes, and injects a dose of reality into them. Rook may be able to bench press a Buick with his pinky, but he still puts on his leather pants one leg at a time. Garth can barely pay his bills and is an utter penny pincher. But they still answer the call to danger without a second thought.

They’re the guys that I want to communicate to readers young and old, you can believe again. That there is good in the world.

So. What makes Checkmate Ever After different from most m/m? Well. There’s no cowboys or firemen. Cops or cooks. Spies or spooks. Sports stars or porn stars. It has two dorky superheroes in love doing the best they can with what they got. It’s got guys living in a larger than life world, and being the voice of those voiceless bullied kids that hid behind comics and sci-fi/fantasy novels. It’s being the voice of those voiceless kids that grew into equally timid voiceless adults.

At it’s core, fun story full of humor and heartbreaking peril. But at the end of the day, I want readers to take away one thing:

You are extraordinary.

Genre: Sci-Fi Superhero ComedyLength: Novel AnthologyPublished: December 15, 2015Publisher: DSP PublicationsISBN: 978-1-63476-462-9Buy:Paperback(and get the eBook for free!) or only the eBook

Blurb:

2nd Edition (Books One – Three)

The day disgraced superhero Memphis Rook literally fell into Hogarth Dawson’s lap, you could say it was fate. But the brawny Rook did nearly crush Garth’s pancreas. What started as two ships passing in the night ended on the weirdest adventure of their lives. Together, Rook and Garth form Checkmate, a daring super duo that keeps Axis City safe from a rogue’s gallery of nefarious villains, dastardly masterminds, and a coalition of calamity. Fighting evil wherever it appears-from reality shows to comic book conventions-Checkmate serves up knuckle sandwiches of justice. But by day, they’re a couple of broke losers who can barely afford a burger and navigating a weird thing called a relationship. Ain’t true love grand? Rook and Garth may be in over their heads, and even super heroes fail sometimes, but they’re ready to take a stand when no one else will. Don’t hate the players, because Checkmate owns the game.

1st Edition of Pawn Takes Rook published by Dreamspinner Press, 2013.

1st Edition of Cashing the Reality Check published by Dreamspinner Press, 2013.

1st Edition of Conventional Love published by Dreamspinner Press, 2014.

And the all new fourth novella Miracle in Axis City and bonus short What The Water Gave Me, exclusive to the anthology!

About the Author:

Lex Chase once heard Stephen King say in a commercial, “We’re all going to die, I’m just trying to make it a little more interesting.” Now, she’s on a mission to make the world a hell of a lot more interesting.

Weaving tales of cinematic, sweeping adventure-and depending on how she feels that day-Lex sprinkles in high-speed chases, shower scenes, and more explosions than a Hollywood blockbuster. Her pride is in telling stories of men who kiss as much as they kick ass. If you’re going to march into the depths of hell, it better be beside the one you love.

Lex is a pop culture diva, her DVR is constantly backlogged, and unapologetically loved the ending of Lost. She wouldn’t last five minutes without technology in the event of the apocalypse and has nightmares about refusing to leave her cats behind.

She is grateful for and humbled by all the readers. She knows very well she wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them and welcomes feedback.

Hey, Genre Talk is now on Facebook! To keep up with all the happenings, and get a glimpse of future fun things, please LIKE our fanpage and JOIN our group. We look forward to seeing you all there!

The Fine Print:

*Entrants must be 18 years or older to qualify
*Some residency restrictions may apply
*All comments must be relevant to the author’s prompt to be eligible (when applicable)
*The Novel Approach will not be held liable for prize delivery unless otherwise specified
*Void where prohibited by law

Happy Sunday, fellow book addicts, and welcome back to another sneak peek of what we have in store for you in the week ahead. It’s going to be packed to the hilt with guests, giveaways, and reviews, so without further delay, here’s what’s coming up!

Monday – Kicking off our week, we’ll be welcoming author Rebecca Cohen on the tour for her new novel He’s Behind You

We’ll also have author Rick R. Reed with us today on the tour for his new romantic thriller The Couple Next Door

Tuesday – Today we’ve got a big day planned, starting with a cover reveal for Lane Hayes’s new novel A Kind of Truth

Then following that, we’ll have author Kate Hill with us to chat about her new novel Blow by Blow

Wednesday – Sticking with the “Big Day” theme, today we kick things off with author Cardeno C. on the audiobook tour for Just What the Truth Is, book five in the Home series

Next, author Silvia Violet joins us on the tour for her new novel Professional Distance

Followed by author JA Rock on The Subs Club blog Tour

And finally, we’ll have another installment in DSP Publications’ “Genre Talk” with Carole Cummings and Lex Chase to look forward to

Thursday – Today kicks off with author Joe Cosentino on the tour for his new Christmas novella A Home for the Holidays

And next up we’ll welcome author LB Gregg on the tour for With This Bling, book three in one of my all-time favorites, the Romano and Albright series

Friday – We have a couple of great guests today; first comes author Cate Ashwood on the tour for her new novel A Forced Silence

Then, author Santino Hassell stops back by on the tour for the second novel in his Five Boroughs series, Sunset Park

Saturday – To close out the week, we’re pleased to be taking part in a very special tour for Pride Publishing’s Racing Hearts Anthology, with contributing author Ethan Stone. All proceeds from the book will be donated to Cancer Research UK and Prospect Hospice in memory of Peter Laybourn, the late husband of Pride editor Sue Laybourn

Hello everyone! I’m Lex Chase, and I want to give a huge thank you to Lisa for hosting me today. Right now she’s getting ready for GayRomLit, and my butt is staying home.

Today, I’m here to talk about Bayou Fairy Tale, the long awaited sequel to Americana Fairy Tale. It’s only been a year and a *coughcouplemonthscough!* But the wait is over! Taylor, Corentin, and Ringo are back! And I have a couple goodies for you today. Enjoy Taylor’s character profile, which should catch you up on our tale so far!

Everyone’s writing process is different. Mine is I almost always write with music going. Film scores, vocals, whatever. I form playlists for my different books, and even further divide it by character pairings. I have a million of ’em. I also like my stuff loud, full of bass, and a hell of a beat. I used to make playlists for blogs that were mostly instrumental and kind of light and almost a bit tame. Now, I’m getting real with stuff I actually listen to.

So, I’m sharing a bit of a sampling from playlist of The Screw-Up Princess and Skillful Huntsman. I chose two songs for each character. One song for what they’d listen to, and one I associate with them.

Taylor is up first with an eerie cover of “Once Upon A Dream” from Sleeping Beauty. Because. Seriously. His next track is “Champion Sound” by Ill Factor. And omg, it’s pretty freaking epic over headphones. The lyrics are very Taylor, how he started from the bottom, and he’ll push until he’s broken to make it to the top. He’d definitely stomp around and headbang. Try to dance and look super dumb doing it.

Atticus is next with a rocking male cover of “Let It Go” from Frozen. Yeah. Yeah. The song you’ll never get out of your head. But this is a version you want in you head. And is sooooo Atticus. Following that is “The Noose” by A Perfect Circle. A song I always associate with him and his fall from grace. How his perfect halo slipped to choke him on darkness. And I apparently live in the 90s.

Corentin follows and he’s totally an old country and classic rock guy. He withers at the idea of showtunes. Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gunna Cut You Down” which is something Corentin would know all the words to, and he’d associate with himself. The other is specifically I chose for his point in Bayou Fairy Tale with “Free” by VAST. His curse is still a major issue and he’s at the point that no one can tell him what to do anymore. He’s going to be who he wants to be. And I still live in the 90s.

Finally, there’s Idi. Aaaaah Idi. Sweet Idi. So what he’s the Witchking and the embodiment of pure evil. He’s still likeable, right? Yeah? For him we go suuuper dark. We have “Seven Devils” by Florence + The Machine and this is one of my favorite songs. Totally a crank it on the headphones or in the car song. And then we have Nine Inch Nails with “The Day The World Went Away.” Nine Inch Nails is noisy but sometimes you need the raw sound to channel those emotions. And I fucking love the 90s. What can I say.

But what about Ringo? Taylor’s quirky fairy godfather that keeps things light and is always there with the perfect zinger! Have a bonus! We have “Stuck in the Middle” with Stealers Wheel, which is the epitome of Ringo stuck with Taylor and Corentin in their absurd situations. And then totally “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Swede. He did kind of sing it in Americana Fairy Tale. This would be his sing it as loud as possible in the shower song.

Now it’s your turn to tell me who is one of your favorite musical artists and why? I’m always on the hunt for new music! Comment below and don’t forget to record your entry on the giveaway widget!

For two years, Taylor and Corentin live their Happily Ever After. But Corentins cursed to lose his memory every seven days, including his life with Taylora painful reminder that he cant provide for the man he loves. Taylor insists Corentin has the strength to succeed, and when Taylor discovers a way to break the curse, he is more than willing to pay the cost.

When an enchanted blizzard devastates Corentins hometown of New Orleans, Taylor is convinced Atticus is to blame and grows desperate to find him amidst the Big Easy turned frozen wasteland. Corentin believes Taylor is chasing a ghost while he chases the ghosts of his own past. Old tensions scratch open scars, leaving both to wonder if they have each others best interests at heart. The clock is ticking until Corentin loses his memory, and the rabbit hole goes so deep they may never come out.

About the Author:

Lex Chase once heard Stephen King say in a commercial, Were all going to die, Im just trying to make it a little more interesting. Now, shes on a mission to make the world a hell of a lot more interesting.

Weaving tales of cinematic, sweeping adventureand depending on how she feels that dayLex sprinkles in high-speed chases, shower scenes, and more explosions than a Hollywood blockbuster. Her pride is in telling stories of men who kiss as much as they kick ass. If youre going to march into the depths of hell, it better be beside the one you love.

Lex is a pop culture diva, her DVR is constantly backlogged, and unapologetically loved the ending of Lost. She wouldnt last five minutes without technology in the event of the apocalypse and has nightmares about refusing to leave her cats behind.

She is grateful for and humbled by all the readers. She knows very well she wouldnt be here if it wasnt for them and welcomes feedback.

I’m having a Down on the Bayou Giveaway where one lucky winner will walk away with a magical fairy tale prize pack! From Corentin’s mini journal, to a delicious bottle of Disney’s Snow White perfume, Lex Chase swag annnndddd….

This lovely necklace!

US residents only please, but for International residents, you’ll get a lovely 20 dollar Amazon Gift Card!

Don’t forget about the multiple ways to enter! Not only do you need to comment, you can tweet! Use the hashtag #BayouFairyTale! Or enter via Instagram!

*Entrants must be 18 years or older to qualify
*Some residency restrictions apply
*All comments must be relevant to the author’s prompt to be eligible (when applicable)
*The Novel Approach will not be held liable for prize delivery unless otherwise specified

Blurb: Modern fairy-tale princess Taylor Hatfield has problems. One: he’s a guy. Two: his perfect brother Atticus is the reincarnation of Snow White. Three: Taylor has no idea which princess he is supposed to be. Four: Taylor just left his prince (a girl) at the altar. Despite his enchanted lineage, Taylor is desperate to find his Happily Ever After away from magic, witches, and stuffy traditions. Regrettably, destiny has other plans for him. Dammit. Continue reading →

Americana Fairy Taleby Lex Chase

Blurb

Modern fairy-tale princess Taylor Hatfield has problems. One: He’s a guy. Two: His perfect brother Atticus is the reincarnation of Snow White. Three: Taylor has no idea which princess he is supposed to be. Four: Taylor just left his prince (a girl) at the altar. Despite his enchanted lineage, Taylor is desperate to find his Happily Ever After away from magic, witches, and stuffy traditions. Regrettably, destiny has other plans for him. Dammit. Continue reading →

Hi everyone! I’m Lex Chase and I’m here on The Novel Approach today to celebrate the awesomeness of GRL! This time I’ll be going as a Featured Author and I’m excited to have snagged a spot. I have finally managed to step up to the “big kid table” as I call it.

Before I get to the week ahead, I’m looking for a few good reviewers. If you, or anyone you know, loves to read, will read from a variety of sub-genres (though that’s not a deal breaker), and loves to devour books then share your opinion on them, please fill out the contact form below because I want you to join the team.

Previous experience isn’t necessary, but if you review on your own blog, Amazon, or Goodreads, I’d like to read a sample of your work, so please leave a URL link in the comment box as well.

Hello, Internet! I’m Lex Chase and thank you for joining me on stop #8 on the Pawn Takes Rook: Conventional Love blog tour. Conventional Love is the final installment in the Checkmate trilogy where Rook and Garth leave it all on the line for one last grand adventure. I’ve decided to make this tour a retrospective of the series. I’m sharing behind the scenes goodies, inspirations, and the crazy adventure of my first year as an author. And like all things in fabulous superhero merchandising, I’m giving out trading cards drawn by yours truly. Make sure you check them all out in the tour!

In November 2013, I participated in my 14th NaNoWriMo event. Short version: You write a draft of a 50k novel in 30 days. I’ve done NaNo since 1999, with varying degrees of success. I’ve even been successful and so juiced on the productivity one year, I turned right around on December 1st and did it again. And one of my NaNo novels, Chasing Sunrise will be released from Dreamspinner this summer.

NaNo is not only about the act of writing, but also it’s the sense of camaraderie. There’s write-ins, write-a-thons, and vandalizing a bridge.

Yes. Really vandalizing a bridge.

For NaNo 2013, my region had an idea to tag a local train trestle in my area lovingly known as Graffiti Bridge. It’s the only thing in town perfectly legal to vandalize. So calling ourselves the NaNoVandals, we trekked out there in the dark of night, and set to work. Enjoy the photo montage!

Three years ago, superhero Memphis Rook saved Hogarth Dawson’s life, and now the two can’t imagine being apart. Sort of.

By day, they’re a loving couple. By night, they’re the superhero duo Checkmate. Since that’s too much time in each other’s personal space, Rook and Garth decide they need friends outside of each other. Garth finds friendship with a D&D group comprised of the social misfits Chad—who has crammed himself so far in the closet he might never find the door again, Jackson—who’s so mysophobic he’s afraid of his own germs, and El Jefe—who has all the social grace of a brick.

With an epic dose of peer pressure, the group urges Garth to go to Tolkicon, the biggest comic convention in Axis City. When the supervillain league the Coalition of Calamity appears and takes the convention hostage, as the only real superheroes around, it’s up to Garth and Rook to save the day. With Rook as one of the hostages, Garth knows it’s time to nut up or shut up about being a hero.

I limped down the foyer and into the great room, where he lounged on the couch, in a black robe, reading The Bucolic Plague as if the memoir of gay goat farmers in upstate New York meant anything to him beyond that they were gay.

“You can drop the act,” I said, and he looked up. “I know you don’t read memoirs.”

His brow furrowed and his lips pursed into a childish frown. “You’d be surprised,” he said, petulant.

I decided to play along as I inched down the steps into the recessed room. “What’s so interesting about it then?” I asked as if he’d spout the easy answer.

“It’s normal,” he said simply.

I blinked. Okay, that’s not what I was expecting. “Normal how?” I asked, once again fishing for the easy answer.

“The goat farm, the country life, the being self-sufficient, the being kind to your neighbor,” he said, watching me and clearly aware he had totally lost me. “You were expecting me to say they were gay, right?”

“No,” I lied.

“Hogarth,” he said, calling my bluff.

“Well,” I said, curling up next to him. “Of all books, why that one? Shouldn’t you be reading the updated Krav Maga compendium?”

Rook scanned a page, flipped it, and then scanned again. “I needed to be reminded,” he said softly, his tone having a strange sense of apology.

“Reminded of?” I asked, watching him while he kept his gaze on the book.

Finally his attention settled on me, and the murderous tint in his aquamarine eyes was replaced with the watery glaze of calm. Like the cool, still underside of a glacier.

“That I still feel,” he said, and my body shivered. “That underneath it all—the urges for violence, the lust of breaking bones, the frenzy at the scent of blood—I still remember I’m just a simple farm boy, raised on wholesome values from Iowa.”

Okay. So there’s those touching, sweet moments when you know you should be totally serious and sincere, like now. Now is a totally serious and sincere moment. But you know when you’re going to react completely inappropriately? Well, you never know when you’re going to react inappropriately, but I regrettably snorted a giggle into my hand.

“Iowa?” I asked, tears welling in my eyes. “Like potatoes?”

Thankfully, Rook humored me and gave me a double-knuckle noogie in my wet red hair. “That’s Idaho, cuddleskull,” he said with a grin. “Well, we can’t all be Mister Das Uber Urban from Axis City.”

“Charles City, Iowa,” he said. “It was simple then. Before all this….” He pointed to the driftwood chandelier and the rolling fireplace. “This.”

“This,” I said, pointing to his forehead. “This,” I repeated, and lifted his broad hand and placed it over my heart.

It was his turn to take on the stunned, deer-in-the-headlights expression. I had never seen him so fragile before. So genuinely skittish. He swallowed. “I-I can’t change it,” he said quietly.

I knew what he meant. And it was my choice, right at that moment, to either cash in my chips and walk out that door, or just ignore it like it never was a problem. Like it’s never a problem that I’m sitting on a ticking time bomb. That it’s only a matter of time before one of us goes off. How could I have just ignored it? It’s not like it doesn’t come up every few months with every new explanation of what we do as Checkmate. It’s in our genes to destroy each other one day.

“I’ll understand,” he said, his warm hand gently wrapped around mine and his telepathy kicking in at the most appropriate moment. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Shh.” I pressed two fingers to his lips. He blinked owlishly as I straddled his clean, warm lap in my soggy clothes that smelled vaguely of motor oil and dog pee. “I’m dirty,” I said, rolling my hips against him, and he gasped under my fingers. “Let’s not think about this until I’m clean.”

Rook hummed thoughtfully against my fingers. “Are you doing what I think you’re doing?” he asked, and my fingers snaked under his robe, finding his length and giving a firm stroke. His head fell back against the couch. “Oh, Christ, Garth, you are doing what I think you’re doing.”

I giggled, leaning in to whisper my command against his mouth. “Fuck me, farm boy.”

Lex Chase once heard Stephen King say in a commercial, “We’re all going to die, I’m just trying to make it a little more interesting.” She knew then she wanted to make the world a little more interesting.

Weaving tales of cinematic, sweeping adventure, epic love—and depending on how she feels that day—Lex sprinkles in high-speed chases, shower scenes, and more explosions than a Hollywood blockbuster. She loves tales of men who kiss as much as they kick ass. She believes if you’re going to going to march into the depths of hell, it better be beside the one you love.

Lex is a pop culture diva and her DVR is constantly backlogged. She wouldn’t last five minutes without technology in the event of the apocalypse and has nightmares about refusing to leave her cats behind. She is incredibly sentimental, to the point that she gets choked up at holiday commercials. But like the lovers driven to extreme measures to get home for the holidays, Lex believes everyone deserves a happy ending.

Lex also has a knack for sarcasm, never takes herself seriously, and has been nicknamed “The Next Alan Moore” by her friends for all the pain and suffering she inflicts on her characters. She is a Damned Yankee hailing from the frozen backwoods of Maine residing in the ’burbs of Northwest Florida where it could be 80F and she’d be a popsicle.

She is grateful and humbled for all the readers. She knows very well she wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them and welcomes feedback.

Just leave a comment on any of the blog posts along the tour, along with a contact email address. If you would still like to enter the contest but don’t wish to leave your email address in the comment, you can also enter by emailing lex.a.chase@gmail.com.

Winners will be chosen at random and posted on Lex’s blog at Lex Chase on Wednesday, February 5th, and on Lex’s Facebook page. Winners will then be notified via email.

Welcome to another great week coming up, gang, and speaking of welcome, we’ve added a new reviewer to our staff, who we’re so glad to have coming to play in our sandbox! Unlike Robert’s rather spontaneous addition to our crew, this one’s been in the works for what seems like forever now but has actually been more like weeks. Many of you may already know her from her vast repertoire of work for Jesse Wave and Joyfully Jay, but I hope you’ll take a minute to still say hi.

So, without further ado, let’s welcome Sammy Goode to The Novel Approach!

So, what to say about a woman who leads a lovely, simple, ordinary life…

I used to be a stripper and did pole danc…wait….maybe that’s an overshare?

Let me begin again…

I love dogs, but I have a restraining order out against both of my cats…

ok….this is not going as I planned…hmmmm….third time’s a charm?

Hello, my name Is Sammy Goode. It’s lovely to meet you!

I teach small people who never cease to surprise me, and I write plays for them as well…sometimes the plays garner me a boat load of money, sometimes they languish on my “this is such a flop-no one in their right mind will buy it” pile, but always the writing is the thing I enjoy the most.
I read almost as much as I sleep–lots of genres but M/M is by far my favorite.

I am an empty nester except I’m really happy that the nest is, well, empty. I think that either makes me a bad parent or a well adjusted woman. I’m opting for the latter!

And finally? I am so very happy to be here discussing books with you.

And now, here’s what’s in store for the coming week!

Monday – The lovely and delectable Brita Addams is here today with her regular monthly Guest Article. This week she’s discussing the importance of good editing.

Tuesday – Rick R. Reed is here to answer some very nosy questions about himself and his latest release Legally Wed, and there’s a Giveaway.

Wednesday – Lex Chase makes TNA a stop on her Conventional Love Blog Tour, and she has a Giveaway too.

T. Strange is also back today with a little Release Day Promo for her new book Amber from Torquere Press.

Thursday – Storm Moon Press is our featured guest with its second installment on the 4th Anniversary Blog Tour.

Lex Chase is attending GayRomLit for the first time as a Supporting Author, and she’s excited to meet readers, pick the brains of her peers, and attend the Masquerade as a Walking Dead survivor. She even has a shovel for her costume. A shovel! Bound to be epic.

She is the creator of the Checkmate series (Pawn Takes Rook, and Pawn Takes Rook: Cashing the Reality Check) for Dreamspinner Press which tells the tale of disgraced superhero Memphis Rook and his climb to redemption alongside his sidekick/boyfriend Hogarth Dawson. The series is full the dizzying highs, the terrifying lows, and the creamy middle. It’s pretty much the dark and angsty tale of Batman told from the perspective of a hyperactive chipmunk.

Lex decided to do something different for the Joyful Approach and give this YouTube reading thing a shot! This Contest Is Now Closed.

Enjoy the show!

*** *** ***

Pawn Takes Rook: Cashing the Reality Check Blurb

Even after eleven months of keeping the mean streets of Axis City safe, superduo Checkmate—Hogarth Dawson—and his boyfriend, Memphis Rook, still receive the cold shoulder from the Power Alliance. Undeterred, Hogarth brings his intense focus to bear on Rook, and after Hogarth makes an accidental marriage proposal, it becomes all too clear Rook isn’t quite at the same place. But before life gets awkward, duty calls.

Booted-off female contestants of the romantic reality show Single and Super are being found in comas, and Checkmate needs to get to the bottom of it. As part of Rook’s plan, he cleans up his bad boy image and goes undercover as a bachelor looking for love among twenty-five frenzied women. Against Rook’s wishes, Hogarth sneaks onto the set as a cameraman to investigate the case on his own. With questions unanswered between them, emotions run high, distracting them and feeding a trap of their own making.

Lex Chase is a journalist by day and a writer by night. Either way you slice it, she makes things up for a living. Her style of storytelling is action, adventure, and a dollop of steamy romance. She loves tales of men who kiss as much as they kick ass. She believes it’s never a party until something explodes in a magnificent fashion, be it a rolling fireball of a car or two guys screaming out their love for one another in the freezing rain.

Lex is a pop culture diva, an urbanite trapped in a country bumpkin’s body, and wouldn’t last five minutes without technology in the event of the apocalypse. She has learned that when all else fails, hug the cat.

She is a Damned Yankee hailing from the frozen backwoods of Maine residing in the ‘burbs of Northwest Florida where it could be 80F and she’d have a sweatshirt on because she’s freezing.